Saturday, October 18, 2008

F*** the Media....

Can you imagine a time when being a journalist was as reputed as being a doctor? Today's reporter is on par with divorce lawyers or used car salesmen in terms of respectability. Some people see the Internet age as the death of the media. We see it already in the slow and terminal decline of the newspaper. Why read something that is so big and clumsy everyday when the "news" in it is already at least 24 hours old? When was the last time you read a daily newspaper from cover to cover ( the Globe and Mail weekend edition does not count!)



The only thing in print media that is actually increasing in sales is tabloids and that triggers another rant on the hypocrisy of celebrity culture and its impact on the Western World as a whole.



But does the rise of the Internet really mean the end for trained journalists? We can see the scary world of convergence all around us when we turn on Global and see a Province news writer delivering his take on the latest Premier's address; or when we flick on the Fox and hear the weather girl from CTV giving the afternoon traffic reports. The loss of independent news Media also means the loss of jobs for those of us standing on the outside of the inner sanctum of the CanWest conglomerate. But that is a given. If I was the owner of Canwest I don't think I would pay one person to write the news in my newspaper and one person to say it on my TV station and one person to read it on my radio station. You don't need an MBA to see that convergence is just another way for the company bigwigs to squeeze those last drops of water out of a dry well.



Newspapers, radio and TV news are all battling for second fiddle status behind the fast and varied news sources available to us through the click of a mouse. News on the Internet engages the reader in a way news in the paper, on the radio or on television can't. In the Internet age, it is up to the reader to seek out what news they want to know about. The reader seeks out information they want either by subscribing to RSS feeds from sources they trust like the Guardian, the Tyee or StreetNews or by actively searching out what stories they are interested in learning more about. While a snippet heard on the radio or flipped to during a commercial break of the Hills may pique the readers interest it is on the Internet that most readers will head to seek the full story.



It's almost a given that the article in the newspaper or the 2 minute story on the 5 o'clock news doesn't give the full story. TV news is edited for time and maximum impact. Articles in the paper are edited for length and often coloured by the bias of the writer and the publisher. Most conventional forms of news are dumbed down to reach the masses. However, on the Internet you can find news stories that are dumbed down and in-depth and told from a variety of angles.

I believe that the times when the newspaper or the 6 o’clock newscast would shape our days and impact change across communities is gone if it ever existed. The media is not that altruistic. The readers and watchers are not that gullible. Well, I’m sure some are. But those are the same people that buy whatever record gets the most airplay on the radio from Payola. I know there are a lot of people like that but I would argue those are not the people changing the world or contemplating running for office.

Newspapers and newscasts need to embrace technology and encompass it into their approach to news. We can already see that with newspaper websites and in-depth videos available online. But in order for them to continue to hold onto whatever small percentage of the media share they hold they need to increase their web presence. They need to invite pundits and local activists to write online columns and commentary on the stories in the papers and on the news. This would help to stimulate dialogue and help reach that lofty goal of inspiring change within the community. Without embracing the Internet more, the media as we know it will continue to dwindle and suffer from a lack of understanding and a lack of active readership.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Ravi's Birthday!

Ravi turned one year old today! And what a day it was. He went outside for the first time.  He wore a leash for the first time. He wore a dress for the first time. He growled at someone for the first time.  My little guy is growing up!!!